Today on their official blog, Ubisoft announced a partnership with Carbon Games to bring the developer’s free-to-play real-time strategy game AirMech to the Xbox 360.

Called AirMech Arena for its console debut, the game is similar in many ways to other RTS releases—build units, capture outposts, attack the bases of your opponent—but instead of being but a cursor directing the action, players also directly take part in the action. This is done through the AirMech, a specialized vehicle that can transform between a giant robot mode that can battle enemy units on the ground, and a flying mode that can traverse the map or move units here and there at much faster speeds.

One of the reasons I’m highly interested in giving AirMech Arena a try is what all of that sounds like: the classic Technosoft Genesis release Herzog Zwei, one of the games that helped launch the real-time strategy genre. It’s clear that AirMech Arena was made by a team who loved and were inspired by Herzog Zwei, and until we get a proper third Herzog game—which, at this point, will probably be never—AirMech Arena is looking like the next best thing.

Of course, to be fair, it also looks like Carbon Games is bringing their own roster of gameplay ideas to the overall concept, and I’m looking forward to seeing if that is indeed the case (and how their take on this style of game turned out).

AirMech Arena will be hitting the Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360 this Summer, and will be released as a free-to-play title. For those going to PAX East 2014 this week, AirMech Arena will be playable in the Ubisoft Digital Booth.

About Mollie L Patterson

Mollie got her start in games media via the crazy world of gaming fanzines, and now works at EGM with the goal of covering all of the weird Japanese and niche releases that nobody else on staff cares about. She’s active in the gaming community on a personal level, and an outspoken voice on topics such as equality in gaming, consumer rights, and good UI. Find her on Twitter @mollipen.

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Ubisoft and Carbon Games announce XBLA version of free-to-play RTS Air Mech Arena

Today on their official blog, Ubisoft announced a partnership with Carbon Games to bring the developer’s free-to-play real-time strategy game AirMech to the Xbox 360.

Called AirMech Arena for its console debut, the game is similar in many ways to other RTS releases—build units, capture outposts, attack the bases of your opponent—but instead of being but a cursor directing the action, players also directly take part in the action. This is done through the AirMech, a specialized vehicle that can transform between a giant robot mode that can battle enemy units on the ground, and a flying mode that can traverse the map or move units here and there at much faster speeds.

One of the reasons I’m highly interested in giving AirMech Arena a try is what all of that sounds like: the classic Technosoft Genesis release Herzog Zwei, one of the games that helped launch the real-time strategy genre. It’s clear that AirMech Arena was made by a team who loved and were inspired by Herzog Zwei, and until we get a proper third Herzog game—which, at this point, will probably be never—AirMech Arena is looking like the next best thing.

Of course, to be fair, it also looks like Carbon Games is bringing their own roster of gameplay ideas to the overall concept, and I’m looking forward to seeing if that is indeed the case (and how their take on this style of game turned out).

AirMech Arena will be hitting the Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360 this Summer, and will be released as a free-to-play title. For those going to PAX East 2014 this week, AirMech Arena will be playable in the Ubisoft Digital Booth.

About Mollie L Patterson

Mollie got her start in games media via the crazy world of gaming fanzines, and now works at EGM with the goal of covering all of the weird Japanese and niche releases that nobody else on staff cares about. She’s active in the gaming community on a personal level, and an outspoken voice on topics such as equality in gaming, consumer rights, and good UI. Find her on Twitter @mollipen.